Friday December 2, 2022
Beledweyne (HOL) - Hirshabelle Vice President Yusuf Dabageed said that joint federal and regional forces have succeeded in opening up the Hiiraan, Middle Shabelle and Banadir regions, connecting districts that have long been cutoff by Al-Shabaab.
Yusuf Dabageed, who gave an interview with the government media, said that the troops are now heading for the liberation between the mosques of Ali Galgaduud and Aden Yabal, where he said that the Al-Shabaab are hiding.
The liberated land, the vice president said, is 300 km long. Dabageed described it as a great victory in the war against al-Shabaab. He also said that the relief from Mogadishu would go to the liberated areas by land instead of being transported by airplanes.
"I can travel to Mogadishu by car, spend the night and travel back (to Hirshabelle) without worries. It is also a joy and a victory for us that the Mataban army, who started the war, is today at the border of the Middle Shabelle," said Vice President Hirshabelle.
Somali government forces and Al-Shabaab
fought an intense battle in late June near the Qabno area of the Mataban district in Hiiraan, arguably launching the Somali government's "total war" offensive against the Al Qaeda-linked militants. The fighting came after Al Shabaab members had reportedly set up checkpoints to extort vehicles using the main road. Al-Shabaab fighters
took control of Mataban in early April following a withdrawal of government forces from the area.